Good DayAt Work

Conversation 2018

Science. Creativity. Wellbeing.

19 June 2018

THE IET LONDON, SAVOY PLACE

Wellbeing 2.0 represents the promise of greater health and fulfilment, delivered by new technologies, big data and our understanding of the science of happiness.

But does a science-based approach alone account for what makes us human - our potential and our frailties? Individuality, creativity and our sense of the unique place we occupy in the world are all very real ...but also very hard to measure!

The future of work, and therefore wellbeing, is where science and creativity collide. It’s both an opportunity and a challenge for employers: so how can they make the most of both mindsets in way that leads to more wellbeing for all?

We helped answer this question through a combination of top quality speakers, engaging conversations and memorable experiences.

Scientists, practitioners, creatives and leading academics joined us in 2018’s Good Day at Work Conversation.

Our 2018 Speakers

Professor Sir Cary Cooper

Founder and Director, Robertson Cooper and Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at the University of Manchester

Sir Cary founded Robertson Cooper with Ivan Robertson in 1999. A Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at University of Manchester, he is recognised as a world-leading expert on wellbeing. Cary has been spearheading the movement that’s ...

Sir Cary founded Robertson Cooper with Ivan Robertson in 1999. A Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at University of Manchester, he is recognised as a world-leading expert on wellbeing. Cary has been spearheading the movement that’s calling on practitioners to understand the impact of health and wellbeing on business outcomes for over 40 years now. Since founding Robertson Cooper, he has championed organisational wellbeing as a means to improve our productivity and engagement at work. In 2016, he was inducted into HR’s Most Influential Hall of Fame, after being acclaimed HR’s most influential thinker consecutively in 2014 and 2015. As Founding Director of Robertson Cooper, Sir Cary is actively involved in creating good days at work for UK plc.

Professor Robert Winston has been responsible for making science understandable to generations with his skill for making the difficult and complex easy and comprehensible.
He is Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London and world-re...

Professor Robert Winston has been responsible for making science understandable to generations with his skill for making the difficult and complex easy and comprehensible.

He is Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London and world-renowned as a fertility expert, with over 300 scientific publications to his name.

He’s also well known for his landmark TV series’ including The Human Body, Superhuman, Child of our Time and The Secret Life of Twins.

He is a passionate communicator of science to all age groups both as a BAFTA-winning broadcaster and an author of over 20 titles.

Robert has written and spoken extensively about the question of ‘what makes us happy?’ and will be drawing on the latest science to try to answer this age-old question.

Matthew is the Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts and former political strategist.
In 2016, Matthew was appointed the Chair of the Review of Modern Employment by the Prime Minister Theresa May. Subsequently, he delivered the Taylor Review &...

Matthew is the Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Arts and former political strategist.

In 2016, Matthew was appointed the Chair of the Review of Modern Employment by the Prime Minister Theresa May. Subsequently, he delivered the Taylor Review ‘Good Work’ in 2017 which looks at modern working practices and where work is heading.

Matthew will be drawing from the ‘Good Work’ review to address the Good Day at Work Conversation’s audience and giving his view as to what a good day at work looks like now and in the future.

With a deep passion for enabling potential, Tania started her career as a Social Worker, eventually specialising in marriage/family therapy in South Africa, before making the move to Human Resources in 1996.
For the next 10 years, she had regular opp...

With a deep passion for enabling potential, Tania started her career as a Social Worker, eventually specialising in marriage/family therapy in South Africa, before making the move to Human Resources in 1996.

For the next 10 years, she had regular opportunities to apply change management principles in her personal and work life as a generalist HR practitioner in a large retailer.

Ending this journey as the HR Director in 2006, Tania then moved to Nestlé as Employee Wellness Manager, where, during the following seven years, she fulfilled a variety of roles, inclusive of Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development as well as Talent Management.

From here, she moved to Nestlé Malaysia for two years, following by relocation to the UK in early 2016 to take up her current role.
Tania holds Master’s Degrees in both Clinical Social Work and Labour Law/Human Resources, as well as a post-graduate Diploma in Marriage and Family Counselling. She currently lives in a beautiful English village with her husband and spends most of her free time living her other passion – working with rescued animals!

Sue Todd is currently the CEO of Magnetic the marketing agency for consumer magazines and co-creator of Culture 2.0. She began her career at EMAP (now Bauer) where she ran both Marketing and People and Culture- responsible for aligning the internal c...

Sue Todd is currently the CEO of Magnetic the marketing agency for consumer magazines and co-creator of Culture 2.0. She began her career at EMAP (now Bauer) where she ran both Marketing and People and Culture- responsible for aligning the internal culture to the external brand – a quite revolutionary idea nearly twenty years ago. After a stint in other media businesses including Viacom, she set up her own specialist brand and culture consultancy Wonder working with the likes of MEC, Channel 4, Harrods and Grey, supporting change programmes and helping businesses develop enviable and strategically aligned cultures.

Nowadays, when not championing magazine media, she has co-authored a New Work Manifesto with Bruce Daisley, an initiative designed to change the way we work. Downtime comprises of cycling, walking and regular theatre trips. She can usually be found strolling on the North Downs or around London, headphones glued to her ears consuming podcasts including her co-author Bruce Daisley’s chart topping business podcast – Eat, Sleep, Work , Repeat.

Dr William Bird is a GP with more than three decades’ experience in physical activity, nature and health. He has been instrumental in setting up nationally recognisable schemes such as Green Gyms and Healthy Walks.
William is co-editor of the recen...

Dr William Bird is a GP with more than three decades’ experience in physical activity, nature and health. He has been instrumental in setting up nationally recognisable schemes such as Green Gyms and Healthy Walks.

William is co-editor of the recently published Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health and BBC Wildlife magazine voted him one of the top 30 influential conservationists in the UK.

As CEO and Founder of Intelligent Health, he has developed Beat the Street, a physical activity intervention programme delivered in towns and cities across the UK and Europe.

In 2010, he was awarded an MBE for his services towards physical activity and health

William will be talking about how he has reconnected hundred of thousands of people with their towns, the natural environment, their health and each other.

Phil Lewis is an award-winning strategist, speaker, author, mentor and business leader. His work transforms the fortunes of organisations around the world.
Phil speaks with rare authority on how to build impact cultures: harnessing energy within orga...

Phil Lewis is an award-winning strategist, speaker, author, mentor and business leader. His work transforms the fortunes of organisations around the world.

Phil speaks with rare authority on how to build impact cultures: harnessing energy within organisations to deliver both creative innovation and commercial performance. He’s been doing it internationally for over 20 years, in both creative agencies and management consultancies.

In 2017, Phil published Creativity Is Power, a manifesto for organisational change that’s already transforming how many executives see the world of work.

Judith is responsible for strategic occupational health, occupational hygiene and wellbeing delivery across the global construction, consultancy and facilities management business, Mace.
As the former Group Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing a...

As the former Group Head of Occupational Health and Wellbeing at Royal Mail Group Judith achieved success in developing and delivering wellbeing strategy and programmes in addition to overseeing the occupational health and wellbeing contracts.

Currently completing her PhD in Occupational Health Psychology and Management at the University of Nottingham, Judith has an interest in academic research on workplace wellbeing; her thesis is focused on socioeconomic status, obesity and dietary behaviours.

With a background that includes working in community health for a local authority, in corporate health promoting wellbeing programmes to businesses and personal training both for a gym and privately, Judith has a varied background in health and wellbeing promotion.

Andy Guthrie is Director of The Workplace Choir Company.
The remarkable wellbeing benefits of group singing are now well documented, and Andy uses his education and music expertise to enable people to find their voice through group activity, while le...

Andy Guthrie is Director of The Workplace Choir Company.

The remarkable wellbeing benefits of group singing are now well documented, and Andy uses his education and music expertise to enable people to find their voice through group activity, while learning a highly rewarding skill which enhances employee engagement, wellbeing and loyalty.

Clients have included TUI UK&I, Silicon Valley Bank, Kantar, The London Taxi Company, RSM Accountants, the UNISON union, Warwick University and NHS Providers. A choir with Kantar’s Munich office starts this year.

Andy firmly believes everyone can and should sing with others. He particularly enjoys working with people who were told they can’t sing!

He has 20 years professional music experience, an MA in composition, and was a speaker at the Association of British Choral Directors Conference 2015 on workplace choirs.

Kate has been a business journalist for the past 17 years, editing real business and freelancing for the times, the Guardian and the Financial Times. As the head of content for Management Today, you’ll find her interviewing business big shots a...

Kate has been a business journalist for the past 17 years, editing real business and freelancing for the times, the Guardian and the Financial Times. As the head of content for Management Today, you’ll find her interviewing business big shots and entrepreneurs, commissioning columnists and directing the brand’s main annual campaigns ranging from Britain’s Most Admired Companies to the 35 Women Under 35 list. She chairs and produces Management Today’s Inspiring Women conference in London and Edinburgh, and is frequently invited to host business events up and down the country.

Head of Policy, Wellbeing & Governance within HR Policy & Proposition, Royal Bank of Scotland

Helen leads the teams responsible for the Wellbeing strategy and programme for over 70,000 colleagues worldwide as well as managing the policies in respect of employee relations across the UK and the broader international remit. Helen’s career incl...

Helen leads the teams responsible for the Wellbeing strategy and programme for over 70,000 colleagues worldwide as well as managing the policies in respect of employee relations across the UK and the broader international remit. Helen’s career includes over a decade of varied HR experience within the Royal Bank covering most HR disciplines and leading teams to deliver strategic change across the areas she is responsible for.

Ivan a Founding Director of Robertson Cooper Ltd – a leading provider of psychological well-being and engagement solutions to organizations and Emeritus Professor of Work & Organizational Psychology at The University of Manchester. He has worke...

Ivan a Founding Director of Robertson Cooper Ltd – a leading provider of psychological well-being and engagement solutions to organizations and Emeritus Professor of Work & Organizational Psychology at The University of Manchester. He has worked on consulting assignments across all sectors of the economy and across the world.

He has published over 40 books on Work & Organizational Psychology and approaching 200 scholarly articles/conference papers. He has held visiting posts in the USA, Singapore and Australia.

His latest books are: “Well-Being: Happiness and Productivity at Work” (2011) and Management and Happiness (2013).

Kieran is a playwright and actor from Manchester. His plays have been seen all across the UK most recently Chicken Soup. at the Sheffield Crucible and Operation Crucible as part of the Brits off Broadway festival in New York.
He became fascinated and...

Kieran is a playwright and actor from Manchester. His plays have been seen all across the UK most recently Chicken Soup. at the Sheffield Crucible and Operation Crucible as part of the Brits off Broadway festival in New York.

He became fascinated and appalled by the statistics surrounding suicide in the UK, and wrote the play 31 Hours after a period working for Southeastern Railway as a maintenance manager.

The play follows four men who are part of a clean-up team who attend incidents of suicide on the UK Rail Network. They are clad in health and safety gear designed to keep them safe, but no one is really paying attention to their emotional and mental well-being.

Every 31 Hours someone takes their own life on the UK rail network, its ten times more likely to be a man.

Jo Hunter is the Co-Founder and CEO of 64 Million Artists, who believe that everyone is creative and that when we are creative we can make change in our lives and in the world around us. 64 Million Artists has worked all over the UK with organisation...

Jo Hunter is the Co-Founder and CEO of 64 Million Artists, who believe that everyone is creative and that when we are creative we can make change in our lives and in the world around us. 64 Million Artists has worked all over the UK with organisations including the BBC, Arts Council England, Kings College London and the UK government to catalyse creativity in different environments. We work in workplaces, mental health settings, schools and universities, across whole cities and with over 12,000 people in our annual January Challenge, a 31-day programme of fun, free, creative prompts to do, think about and share.

Before setting up 64 Million Artists Jo worked as Head of Strategic Development at Battersea Arts Centre and in senior roles at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, Sing Up and in the circus! At the tender age of 14 she was also a presenter of Why Don’t You? on the BBC, giving her an enduring passion for getting people to turn off their TV sets and do something less boring instead.

Ellen is Director of Health Promotion Programs at the Movember Foundation, where she leads global programmes and campaigns to improve men’s health in our core program areas of mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular can...

Ellen is Director of Health Promotion Programs at the Movember Foundation, where she leads global programmes and campaigns to improve men’s health in our core program areas of mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Prior to that she headed up marketing strategy and planning for Public Health England’s world-leading behaviour change campaigns. She also ran the strategic agency The Ladder Consultancy and set up and led the behaviour change team at Forster Communications, working with clients including the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK and the King’s Fund. She is a Trustee of the children’s heart charity Tiny Tickers and sits on the campaign advisory board of the Time to Change campaign.

Matt Webster heads up British Land’s approach to wellbeing, leading thinking and strategy on how places and spaces can impact the way we think, feel and behave. The futureproofing element of Matt’s role focuses on how buildings can be optimised f...

Matt Webster heads up British Land’s approach to wellbeing, leading thinking and strategy on how places and spaces can impact the way we think, feel and behave. The futureproofing element of Matt’s role focuses on how buildings can be optimised for resource efficiency and future resilience.

Matt chairs our internal Wellbeing Committee and as a passion advocate of equality also sits on our Women’s Network.

Matt has previously worked as a sustainability consultant for the global engineering firm, Arup. Prior to that, Matt completed a Master’s degree with Forum for the Future.

Warren is CEO of LifeMap Research, bringing a unique understanding of change, data analysis and mapping to help people navigate the major changes in their lives, families and communities. His recent research includes building the next generation of w...

Warren is CEO of LifeMap Research, bringing a unique understanding of change, data analysis and mapping to help people navigate the major changes in their lives, families and communities. His recent research includes building the next generation of wellbeing maps from health, resilience and personality data, enabling people to find their way through the ‘invisible, intangible and often forgotten’ dimensions of their lives, that are required to build greater wellbeing.

He invented Change Tracking, a patented system of predictive analytics which helps organizations navigate and manage large scale change. Now used by Accenture in more than 30 countries and across 300 global organisations, Change Tracking has helped over 2 million people through all organisational levels to find more effective ways to move forward.

Jack is a Business Psychologist who has been with Robertson Cooper for almost four years. He supports our clients to help their employees to have more good days at work, mostly involving working with organisations to measure, understand and improve t...

Jack is a Business Psychologist who has been with Robertson Cooper for almost four years. He supports our clients to help their employees to have more good days at work, mostly involving working with organisations to measure, understand and improve the positive psychological wellbeing of their employees to unlock high levels of engagement and performance. Most recently, Jack was a key member of the team in translating and launching our core measurement tool and individual feedback report in 10 languages.

With strong technical knowledge and organisational skills, Jack’s main focus is to understand client requirements and deliver matching outcomes to the highest standard. He currently manages a range of wellbeing projects for blue-chip organisations in the engineering, manufacturing, healthcare and education sectors.Jack has a BSc in Psychology and MSc in Occupational Psychology from Manchester Business School, where his thesis focused on the role of resilience in the relationship between stressors and stress in the workplace.

Paul Barrett is Head of Wellbeing for the Bank Workers Charity. He is an occupational psychologist with over 25 years’ experience in the field of employee wellbeing. He previously managed HSBC’s internal employee assistance programme (EAP) and de...

Paul Barrett is Head of Wellbeing for the Bank Workers Charity. He is an occupational psychologist with over 25 years’ experience in the field of employee wellbeing. He previously managed HSBC’s internal employee assistance programme (EAP) and developed and managed a London wide EAP within the NHS. Paul is an established commentator on wellbeing in the workplace and writes for HRZone, The Work Foundation, CIPD, and the Wellbeing Pulse.

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